Unleash your thankful heart

For the past couple of years I’ve been blessed to collaborate with visionary individuals on various projects that helped improve the quality of life, education and the future of children around the world.

One of these extraordinary individuals is Mama Lucy who sold chickens and turned her income into an education for hundreds, founding Shepherds Junior School in 2003 in Arusha, Tanzania. Mama Lucy’s oldest students have recently graduated from the seventh grade, their final year of primary school. With over 500 children now following their footsteps, classrooms at Shepherds Junior are full, so more are needed for Mama Lucy to offer secondary education.

This year for Thanksgiving, Shutter Sisters is proudly teaming up with EpicChange.org in a massive online gratitude effort called Epic Thanks to build a secondary school so that the children at Shepherds Junior continue their educations in Mama Lucy’s loving care until they grow up ready to transform our world.

The fun part? You are all invited to join the movement! During the week of November 21-25, 2011, submit a very grateful photo to Epic Thanks’ world-changing photoblog of global gratitude and write a post about someone or something for which you’re thankful (share on Facebook or Twitter #EpicThanks).

The awesome part? Contribute and raise funds in honor of whomever or whatever you’re most thankful, and be entered to win a fabulous giveaway that includes:

How? Simply donate $5 via our ChipIn page or the Epic Thanks Give page (click on the “Donate” button) and leave a comment below sharing what you’re most grateful for and/or a link to your blog post. Winner will be announced on Saturday, 26th.

I was happy to donate to such a great cause! Hope you get lots and lots of support!

As to what I'm thankful for: my mother, whose gardens and baking I photograph while she keeps an eye on my kids. And when I'm done taking pics of it, we eat that beautiful baking, which tastes as good as it looks!

This is such an amazing cause! I tried to donate via the Chipin page, but the paypal page was written in French and I was afraid of doing something wrong…but I did make a donation directly from the Epicthanks site!!! I also posted a picture on their photoblog of my pregnant sister to show what I am thankful for!:

FYI: I also had problems with the ChipIn page.It was in French, Google Chrome translated it.However, I couldn't update the amount of the contribution from zero.I was repeated told "incorrect amount".I went to the EpicThanks page and donated there without any problems.

What a great cause. I made my donation These days I'm most grateful for my life and being a cancer survivor. Struggling and coming through that health crisis allowed me to embrace my life more fully and dive into creativity and photography.

Irene,Thanks SO much for your continuing support! I could do nothing if I had no one like you to support my dream. It's totally amazing to see how these miracles are happening on my way. Thanks to everyone pushing my dream into reality. Love!Mama Lucy

What a great cause. I am happy to contribute… I am most thankful for life with my most loving and caring husband and our 5 kids. This is not the life I ever imagined I'd have, but I wouldn't change it for anything.

And apparently I use Paypal WAY too much. I neither speak nor read French but had no problem donating using the Chipin link. Thanks for setting this up Irene and Shutter Sisters!

I am thankful for life and it's everyday beauty. I love to be alive and celebrate it each day.I want my son to learn that from me and pass on to his children.I love you cause and donated through Epic.HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!!

How so totally awesome you all are. I stay away…way too much. I am thankful for the many days you 'save me from myself'. My biggest thank that I have each and every day…for the past 50 plus years and for the next..hopefully many….is for my mom. She is so filled with unconditional love that she has given to her six children and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. We have put her through … a lot. She has…given us so much in return…She loves us…no matter what. I am so thankful for such an 'example' that I know I can only try so very hard to be like.

I'm actually grateful for an opportunity to contribute to such an important cause. Being a teacher myself, I'm especially grateful for energetic, enterprising people who are moved by an awesome and loving God to inspire change in the world – one child at a time. Our children are the future and how we influence them makes all the difference.